This spring break, I did a wide variety of activities with other students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. We hiked around southern Colorado, snowshoed in the Snowy Mountains, camped at 9,000 feet, played football on Campus, had a Bible study, and cooked a wild game feast. I met many new people during our travels and activities, and many whom I learned were students in in the College of Agriculture.
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is well known for its role in the ranching and animal and veterinary science communities, as it should be for its world class education. However, while so many students work and enjoy these fields, our college contains students with extremely diverse interests beyond their fields of study. Many students in the College of Agriculture participate in clubs, both within our college and outside, because of these wide-ranging interests. In two of the major clubs I participate in, the Fly Fishing Club and Navigators Campus Ministry, I have met many students in the College of Agriclture, including multiple majoring in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management like myself. This often stems friendships that go beyond clubs and classrooms and leads to an even stronger College of Agriculture and Natural Resources family.
Beyond the students, the vast majority of professors in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources are interested in a wide span of topics and activities. Knowing that the people you are learning from hold similar interests as you can make them much more personable, leading to a great effect on the learning environment. Our professors are not intimidating, one-dimensional information providers; they are people who have fun doing the same things many students enjoy outside of the classroom. I have held long conversations with professors about hobbies and experiences that are not related to anything covered in class time. I have even run into both graduate students and professors during fishing and hunting outings in the mountains. While the professors in the College of Agriculture are here to help us learn and succeed in our field of study, a job which they excel at, they hold their own interests which can really help build relationships with students.
Every person in College of Agriculture classes, including professors and students, has activities they partake in outside of class. I encourage everyone, especially those new to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to expand their social circles and build relationships with the people around them. Converse with your professor after class if they mention an activity you enjoy, and talk to lots of students from your classes, clubs, and internships. Chances are that they are just as excited about the topic or activity as you are and would love to have a conversation or even head to the mountains, the gym, or the river with you.